milk-and-water

adjective

ˈmilk-ən(d)-ˈwȯ-tər How to pronounce milk-and-water (audio)
Definition of milk-and-waternext
1
as in bland
lacking in qualities that make for spirit and character a milk-and-water campaign speech that most likely did not inspire a single person

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character we need to elect a leader with a bold vision, not someone who's been a milk-and-water yes-man all his life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for milk-and-water
  1. bland
  2. weak
  3. boring
  4. soft
  5. watery
  6. weakened
  7. insipid
  8. banal
Adjective
  • The high-wire act that followed—in which performers had to make these bland conceits into something funny without, ostensibly, preparing any jokes in advance—introduced a tension that made sketch shows feel sedate and uneven by comparison.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The rising cost of these licenses has also led to the mass production of bland designs.
    — Matt Martell, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of bland
Adjective
  • Studies have shown that countries with stronger IP systems tend to be more innovative, while weaker IP systems may stifle innovation.
    — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Are scientists hindered by a weak grasp of the physics driving GRBs?
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • Most impressive is its capacity to achieve the perfect balance between design and sophistication, without being uptight or boring.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The game was pretty boring overall, and the Seahawks looked like the significantly better team.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • But, for me, the softer spotlight on HABIBTI has been part of its charm all along — and highlights the risk in releasing three albums at once.
    — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Against his soft, sensitive frame, this underwater world looks impossibly hard.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of soft
Adjective
  • Wildfire smoke may cause coughing, runny nose, or watery eyes.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In general, older knees also have less lubricating synovial fluid than younger ones and the fluid is more watery and carries fewer nutrients.
    — Aaron Steckelberg, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of watery
Adjective
  • Special protection Vaccination is especially important for those 65 years and older, young children, pregnant people, people with chronic medical conditions and those with weakened immune systems.
    — Annette Regan, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Leadership turmoil and a weakened state, as seen with the enfeebled late Ming, could well fuse with latent social tensions to produce an existential crisis.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakened
Adjective
  • In the meantime, there’s a lot of unwieldy comic commotion involving a missing corpse, a tweaking, naked Dwight and enough insipid TV sibling bickering to clog the airwaves for a decade.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Otherwise, the defence failed to defend, the midfield got overrun and the attack was so insipid that Wrexham managed just one shot on target — George Dobson’s 35th-minute effort that Konstantinos Mavropanos blocked just in front of the goal line.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of insipid
Adjective
  • The tense and agonizing switch is a pure state of melodrama, a transcendent form of tragedy striking in the banal core of workaday society.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Its point was not that evil is banal, but rather that those who perpetrate it are.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of banal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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milk
milk-and-water
milked
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Cite this Entry

“Milk-and-water.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milk-and-water. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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